NORDIC SKI PREPARATION

SWIX HARD WAXES
AND KLISTERS
About Kick Waxing in General
It is relatively simple to apply kick waxes with
some experience and knowledge of the performance
of the waxes you are using; however, the
most experienced skier can still become confused
before a race. Nerves are brittle and wax tips
come from all over. This racing manual will give
you some helpful advice and guidelines for competitions
and will give you information that will
improve your everyday skiing experience, both for
touring and training.
In many situations, ski waxing means compromising.
The final goal is superb kick and great
glide; however, many times the conditions are
variable and that can make this goal difficult. Most
important is to find the best balance between kick
and glide that will give you the best overall performance.
A common mistake is to wax too slippery.
Skiers are afraid of loosing glide and wax either
too thin or too hard a wax. Experience tells us that
a racer will lose more time uphill, due to bad kick
than gaining speed on the downhill with good
glide. Swix wants to kill the myth that top-racers
use slippery skis to gain better glide. Truth is that
many racers apply kick waxes somewhat softer
than what is suggested by temperature, create a
longer kick zone and wax thicker than many recreational
skiers might believe.
We will start with a few, general tips, based
upon many years of field experience by the Swix
World Cup service team. Following the guidelines
written below we will give you a good foundation
for making waxing decisions in stressful and difficult
situations.
• Remember, practice makes perfect. The more
you test and experiment during training the better
you will be able to wax for competitions.
• Do not experiment with products or wax combinations
that you have not previously used in
training.
• When you are out training and you have poorly
performing skis, take the additional 5 minutes to
stop and re-wax. It makes no sense to continue on
bad skis.
To see and learn how to wax correctly please visit
www.swixschool.com. Also remember the Swix
Wax Wizard at our web site www.swixsport.com.
Sanding of the Kick Zone
As a general rule, the kick zone usually starts at
the heel and goes 65-70 cm forward. Most shops
who specialize in selling racing skis will be able
to make an exact measurement of the kick zone.
You might get an approximate idea yourself by
using the “paper method”. Place the skis on the
floor. Stand on both skis, with half of your body
weight on each ski. Let somebody move a piece
of paper forward and backward between the ski
and the floor. Make a sign at the points where the
paper meets resistance.
Use sandpaper to treat the kick zone.
You might use a special cork (T11) with #100
grit sandpaper on one side or a paper (T330).
Move the paper in both directions. Do not sand
sideways as this could round the edges of the ski,
this will make work later on with the iron less precise.
A new ski or a new stone grained ski needs
thorough treatment, while a pre sanded ski only
needs a few additional passes with sandpaper.
Sanding of the kick zone is also done before each
race. Always sand after the treatment of the glide
zones has been completed. Avoid fluoro powder
remaining in the kick zone before kick waxing;
otherwise, the adhesion of the wax is critically
reduced. Make a distinct divide between the glide
and kick zone by applying a small piece of tape to
separate the zones. Remove dirt and burr with
Fiberlene (T150) before applying the kick wax.
Tip:
Take a cork or a sanding block and fold the sandpaper
around it. Use it on the edge at the point
exactly where you start the sanding.
Application of Hard Waxes
In most cases we recommend to apply base wax
(VG35) as a first layer. For longer distances or
on aggressive snow, this is a safe choice. On less
aggressive snow (cold, fine grained snow) we recommend
the base wax VG30 as first layer.
VG30
BLUE BASE WAX
+1°C to -20°C (30°F to -4°F).
To be used as first layer for all
hard waxes in new and fine
grained snow.
VG35
GREEN BASE BINDER
-1°C to -22°C (30°F to -7°F).
A durable base wax for the
VR- and V-waxes, for coarse
grained and old snow colder
than -1°C (30°F).
We recommend using an iron when applying
base wax. Apply a thin layer and iron it into the
base (iron temp. 110°C) until it completely covers
the entire sanded area. After the treatment you
may want to make a few passes with a waxing
cork, let the ski cool before applying a layer of
V30. Iron once more using only light pressure to
prevent the two layers from mixing. Finish with
light corking and let the ski cool off to outside
temperature before applying today’s wax.
Base waxes are frequently used in top level
racing in conditions demanding dry / hard waxes.
Many of the best national teams now consequently
prefer Swix base waxes. In citizen races
accurate base-waxing is decisive. Both VG35 and
VG30 hold the ordinary dry-waxes, conserving the
kick, without reducing the kick.
Tip:
Base wax is much easier to apply when it is cold.
Store it in the fridge or in the snow before application.
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